I suppose in some ways we've got to be
thankful for the vast array and diversity of fresh fruit and vegetables
that we have available to us through our supermarkets. I remember when
I was a kid it was pretty much apples, bananas and oranges and that was
it. Now you can get just about anything.
The downside of course is that it's all picked under-ripe and
airfreighted to the point of consumption and all this means is that the
fruit in our supermarkets needs time to ripen. There's nothing better
than a great big juicy pineapple in the fruit bowl to add to the
presentation of any fruit serving but so often I've cut into my
pineapple only to find it woody through to the core and not sweet and
juicy how I want it.
Conversely there's also been many a time for the reason that I've
just stated that a pineapple will sit in our fruit bowl at home until
it starts to attract the flies, and by that time it's well past its
best and you usually find that the base of the fruit is a soggy mess.
So when is it the right time to eat a pineapple?
You can tell very easily when the fruit is ripe by plucking one of
the leaves that sprout out of the top. If it comes away easily then it
is ripe, if however you have to tug and put some effort into it then
you are probably best to leave it a few says more.
If it is still slightly less than ripe don't forget the old trick of
putting next to the bananas. Bananas emit ethylene gas and this will
help ripen the fruit, despite most reporting this as a tip for ripening
an avocado, it does in fact work with any fruit. As always though you
just have to be careful to keep an eye on progress, the banana effect
can be quite rapid. So that's it, you now have a ripe fruit but what
are you going to do with it?
To really bring out the sugar content and ensure that there's
absolutely no sourness, my favorite way to serve pineapple is to grill
it in rings. It tastes great and it's really easy to do.
Using a chopping board and a knife, peel the exterior skin off the
fruit (take extreme care), then place the fruit on the board, turn it
on to its side and slice into circles that are about 1 centimetre
thick. Next core out the centre of each slice and then you're almost
ready to go so how about grilling it?
This makes a great dessert not just because it's sweet but also
because a charcoal grill with dying embers is the prefect temperature.
Just pop the slices on and the grill and sprinkle with a little brown
sugar.
With gentle heat the sugar will melt and ooze a wonderful
caramelised flavor throughout the fruit as it warms up. Ten minutes
each side over gentle heat and you'll have a wonderful dessert that
just needs topping off with a little crème fraiche.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
High School Basketball 3 Point Shot
hink about your favorite parts of the high
school basketball game. If you're team is so athletically inclined,
there's the dunk. Always a crowd favorite. We have to include the
block, a defensive show of force that delivers a mental blow as much as
a physical one. Of course the steal and the sweet pass is right up
there. Today's game however would not be the same without the 3 point
shot. When a prep basketball athlete rains 3's down from behind the arc
(sometimes, way behind the arc), it's crippling to the defense and
their fans. A three pointer to end the game with a close score will
literally cause the gym to explode. Let's look at the history, need,
and impact of the 3 pointer on the high school game.
We like to think of our high school sports as bedrock...never really changing from generation to generation and for the most part, that's true. Your Grandfather's prep basketball game is the same as your aside from the longer shorts (Thank goodness for change). There are pretty revolutionary changes that do come around now and then but they're few and far between. One such change happened to Pro, college, and most importantly to our discussion, high school basketball. It was the advent of the 3 point shot. Let's take a look at why it was brought about and how it changed the game.
The NBA brought about the 3 pointer during the 1980 season. College and high school soon followed during the 80s but at different distances for the arc. First, the basics. When a player shoots behind the 3 point arc which for the high school game is 19' 9" from the basket. If a player makes the shot behind the arc, he or she is awarded 3 points instead of the usual 2 points. If the person is fouled and makes the shot, there is then the potential for a 4 point play (assuming the foul shot is also made). If the player does not make the 3 point shot, he or she can take 3 foul shots if fouled in the act of shooting from behind the arc. So why would the high school basketball sport allow 3 point shots which increase the score by 50% versus making a shot 1 foot (or 1 inch) inside the 3 point arc?
Anyone who's played basketball can tell you that more room will equal more scoring. There's more room to drive, more room to pass, and more room to operate in the key without another defender crowding you out. The mere threat of the 3 point shot tends to pull the guards out further to the arc and stetch the defense more. If you have a 3 point shooter on your high school team (and most teams do these days), the defense has to respect this weapon and the defender (or zone) needs to stretch outwards. This frees up the interior to run plays to the post and around the floor. The other thing it does is to balance scoring. As basketball became a war of attrition to get the biggest and strongest inside players who would camp by the basket (think of Shaq or Dwight Howard now), establishing the 3 point arc would reward the pure shooter. Basketball was in danger of just becoming one on one in paint while the other players let them go to work. That's not the case now with the 3 point shot. Not only did the 3 point shot reward shooting, it created more scoring and probably more importantly, more excitement for the fans.
Although there was some controversy with the original 3 point shot roll-out, it's now a fixture of the high school basketball game and everyone's pretty much on board.
We like to think of our high school sports as bedrock...never really changing from generation to generation and for the most part, that's true. Your Grandfather's prep basketball game is the same as your aside from the longer shorts (Thank goodness for change). There are pretty revolutionary changes that do come around now and then but they're few and far between. One such change happened to Pro, college, and most importantly to our discussion, high school basketball. It was the advent of the 3 point shot. Let's take a look at why it was brought about and how it changed the game.
The NBA brought about the 3 pointer during the 1980 season. College and high school soon followed during the 80s but at different distances for the arc. First, the basics. When a player shoots behind the 3 point arc which for the high school game is 19' 9" from the basket. If a player makes the shot behind the arc, he or she is awarded 3 points instead of the usual 2 points. If the person is fouled and makes the shot, there is then the potential for a 4 point play (assuming the foul shot is also made). If the player does not make the 3 point shot, he or she can take 3 foul shots if fouled in the act of shooting from behind the arc. So why would the high school basketball sport allow 3 point shots which increase the score by 50% versus making a shot 1 foot (or 1 inch) inside the 3 point arc?
Anyone who's played basketball can tell you that more room will equal more scoring. There's more room to drive, more room to pass, and more room to operate in the key without another defender crowding you out. The mere threat of the 3 point shot tends to pull the guards out further to the arc and stetch the defense more. If you have a 3 point shooter on your high school team (and most teams do these days), the defense has to respect this weapon and the defender (or zone) needs to stretch outwards. This frees up the interior to run plays to the post and around the floor. The other thing it does is to balance scoring. As basketball became a war of attrition to get the biggest and strongest inside players who would camp by the basket (think of Shaq or Dwight Howard now), establishing the 3 point arc would reward the pure shooter. Basketball was in danger of just becoming one on one in paint while the other players let them go to work. That's not the case now with the 3 point shot. Not only did the 3 point shot reward shooting, it created more scoring and probably more importantly, more excitement for the fans.
Although there was some controversy with the original 3 point shot roll-out, it's now a fixture of the high school basketball game and everyone's pretty much on board.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Ho-pin Tung Racer
Race as the famous Chinese GP2 racer on 7 cups. Design your own levels in 3d with the level editor.
Game controls:
Arrow key left- Steer left.
Arrow key right- Steer right.
Arrow key up- Accelerate.
Arrow key down- Reverse / Brake.
Space bar- Turbo.
Romantic Day Out
Description: Romantic Day Out
On a beautiful spring morning you go for a ride on your bike with your boyfriend. It's so romantic to share a bike.
puff | friv games | y88
Games controls:
Use mouse to interact.
Add game to your web or blog!!
On a beautiful spring morning you go for a ride on your bike with your boyfriend. It's so romantic to share a bike.
puff | friv games | y88
Games controls:
Use mouse to interact.
Add game to your web or blog!!
Halloween House Makeover 2
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